9 Bangladeshis die while trying to reach Greece via sea

The Bangladesh Embassy in Cairo confirmed the matter on Sunday (August 16).

According to the embassy, a boat carrying 29 migrants reached the coast of Marsa Matruh, Egypt, after losing its way while attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Tobruk, Libya, en route to Greece with the assistance of a human trafficking network. 

Local police rescued the migrants. Eighteen of them were found seriously ill and unconscious and were admitted to Marsa Matruh General Hospital for treatment.

After being informed of the incident, the embassy's First Secretary (Labour) contacted local police and hospital authorities. Police confirmed that 29 migrants are currently receiving treatment at the hospital. With assistance from a hospital employee, embassy officials later spoke over phone with an injured Bangladeshi migrant, Abdul Karim.

Karim said 42 people, including 38 Bangladeshis and four Sudanese nationals, left Tobruk for Greece on August 3 aboard a rubber boat. The boat was powered by a speedboat engine but had no proper navigation system, he said.